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Blog Posts in March 2019

According to Kristi Jagels MS, PT, PRC this is a statement that I have made at many of the past courses she has attended. And I believe she is correct.

Cupidity, or the intense desire for possessiveness, acquisitiveness, and avidness, usually interferes with our respect for the process that clarifies our appreciation for incessant curiosity and pedagogic gratification. We all need to struggle with novel approaches, new relationships and unfamiliar applications. There were thirteen PRI certified and trained clinicians in this course, as well as many more attendees, who have remained altruistic and content with familiar application of PRI principles and were, hopefully, ready for “this course, at this time”.

More importantly, they hopefully appreciate that this PRI course, which is about human dysfunctional oscillatory patterned behavior, would not have resolved their discipline outcome based discontentment, without trusting a thalamic process that was outlined by PRI objectives offered by previous courses that were required for this course attendance. The tag line following the title of each of those required courses, as well as this course, is “An Integrated Approach to the Treatment of…” An appreciable understanding of human patterns is helpful in building a cognitive framework for the interplay between Autonomic and Central Nervous system integration in “treatment”.

I believe the framework offered by the PRI Primary and Cervical Revolution courses guides this interplay. Clinical “integration” of the Autonomic Nervous System and the Central Nervous System, using PRI based concepts, can have a significant influence on clinical interdisciplinary design and outcomes. After reading the comments from these course attendees, I believe they have gained a better understanding of the magnanimity associated with the words “that’s another course, for another time”.

Paula Webster, PT, invited us into her Canton, CT, clinic for the weekend to host Postural Respiration. This was one of the most unique clinics I’ve seen: a renovated 1812 home, with its original bee hive fireplace, whose previous owner was involved in the abolitionist movement.

This was the first PRI exposure for close to half of the participants. It was also a first for me to have a gastroenterologist in attendance, Dr. Kiran Sachdev, who provided insights into the connection between GI issues and patterned respiratory mechanics.

Discussion opened with the asymmetrical diaphragm and its role in patterned lumbo-sacral-pelvic mechanics below and rib and humeral-glenoid mechanics above, driving us into L AIC and R BC patterns that direct air flow patterns and influence every physiologic system in the body.

As always, the concept of the Zone of Apposition, as needed on the left, was thoroughly defined. This left ZOA indicates left lower ribs that are held down, in, and back to lateralize the body to the left and enable healthy air flow directed into the left posterior mediastinum and right apical areas. With a sufficient ZOA, the left hemi-diaphragm is able to regulate and balance thoracic pressure and abdominal pressure so that its dual roles of respiration and stabilization are preserved.

We emphasized the three-dimensional function of the abdominal-pelvic and thoracic cavities, and discussed numerous examples of “deflated, converged” cages and thoracic flat back posture, presentations that require over-activity of necks, bellies, and backs to breathe.

Then it was off to the gym for lab time, to practice PRI’s objective tests, including the new "posterior mediastinum respiratory reach test", along non-manual and manual techniques. Attendees put their hands and minds to work to facilitate and experience the powerful sense of rib cage expansion and freedom. How apropos to sense this freedom within a former abolitionist’s home!

Thank you to Paula’s Canton PT colleagues, Jeanne Daubert, DPT, Heather Mogielnicki, OT, and Shanya Stearns, DPT, for welcoming us into your clinic and tending to the nitty-gritty to help the course run smoothly. Thank you to Robert Barksdale, DScPT, FAAOMT, for your crucial A-V assistance. I also appreciate the willingness of everyone to act as models for various demonstrations. You were a fun group to hang out with all weekend!

We are excited to announce a couple changes to the application process for our PRC and PRT credentialing programs.

Rolling Admissions Process - We will now accept applications throughout the year, and applicants will receive feedback from the application review committee within two months. This will allow applicants who complete their application early the opportunity to have more time to prepare for testing

PRI Credentialing Scholarship - This scholarship is available to candidates who may otherwise be dissuaded from applying for PRC or PRT credentialing solely by their current financial circumstances. Scholarship essays are due on June 15th each year, and the essays will be reviewed by the PRI Directors. The scholarship recipient will be notified by July 15th. If the recipient does not accept the scholarship and complete the credentialing application and testing that year, the scholarship will be awarded to an alternate. Depending on the number of applications each year, the Board of Directors may choose to select more than one scholarship recipient.

These changes are effectively immediately. If you have any questions with these changes, or any questions with the PRC or PRT credentialing process in general, please contact me at platt.jennifer@posturalrestoration.com or 888-691-4583.

"A PRI Approach to Chiropractic Alignment of The Spine", was presented by Ron Hruska on March 10th at the ACA Rehab Council! The two days prior to this presentation were as significant as the topics being discussed. What culminated as a room full of Chiropractic Doctors Blowing up a Balloon, started with collaborative discussions revolving around concepts such as rotation, orientation, respiration and, perhaps most prevalent, alignment of the spine. Coincidentally these concepts aligned themselves well with what was already being discussed by other vendors, presenters and most importantly Students.

After recently attending the APTA Combined Sections and then two months later this conference, it is apparent that the desire to collaborate and integrate among professions is at an all-time high! The students of these organizations are approaching their careers with an Integrative mindset and an overall interest in collaboration. Ron enjoyed discussing the future of this integrative approach with each of the student chiropractors in attendance and was able to show the powerful potential that PRI has within their profession. The group from Keiser University had a strong student presence and a few poster presentations even discussed topics such as the “Zone of Apposition” and Respiration as primary concepts! It was so awesome to see this PRI activity occurring without previous knowledge or awareness of its incurrence!

On the second day we were met by PRI Faculty member Dr. Robert “Skip” George, which allowed us to strengthen the Link between the Director of our Institute, a Physical Therapist, and the Chiropractors in attendance. Skip is a walking Reference Center of clinical knowledge and experience, and his input within our discussions was unprecedented. PRI truly is a common language that can be used and utilized by us all, not just one group or another. This particular group of Rehab professionals understood that long before our arrival.

They were not only excited and welcoming of our Institute but embraced the collaboration and encouraged it within their own organization. It was quite frankly refreshing to be a part of. With Ron’s presentation falling on the last day of this conference we were excited to see how many attendees stayed around to hear the culmination of Ron’s career. Skip gave a wonderful introduction about his relationship with Ron and this Institute to over 60 filled seats! PRI objective testing and core concepts were strengthened and the use of a few Non-Manual techniques allowed the group to appreciate the ability to integrate it into their daily practice.

Thank you to President Dr. Jeff Tucker, and everyone at the American Chiropractic Association Rehab Council for inviting us to this symposium. I would encourage anyone that appreciates this Science to strongly consider reaching out to an integrative minded Chiropractor in their area to collaborate with, converse with and possibly be challenged by, in order to strengthen the relationship between us all! We are excited for the future growth and collaboration between our organizations, and are hopeful that your patients and clients will see a direct increase in their results!

Last weekend I enjoyed a warm welcome in the warm climate of New Mexico that provided a welcomed pause in the coldest winter in my state since 1931. Truly can’t thank Nancy Allen and the attendees at UNM Lovelace Rehab Hospital in Albuquerque for their time, energy and attendance to the many details and nuances of Pelvis Restoration. With nearly all course attendees attending their first Pelvis Restoration course and the majority attending their first PRI course, this was a unique opportunity for this instructor to be able to gear the course slightly more focally to a specific perspective.

This entire group embraced tangible lab time and during labs we had the opportunity to look at many facilitation techniques and demonstrate a series of inhibition techniques for those whose 8 Pelvis Restoration special tests revealed specific need for inhibition in 4 quadrants of the pelvis, two in the inlet and outlet respectively. Thanks to Colin Kidwell, Mary Claire “Intensity” Aaron, “athletic play Ben” Hendricks, Amy Link and nearly every attendee for volunteering for demonstrations for everything from a posterior mediastinum with volume to a left posterior outlet in need of inhibition.

Case studies and application questions abounded and there were many discussing integration concepts, feeling the principles of Pelvis PRI while practicing techniques intermittently throughout the back half of day two…reminding me how much I enjoy seeing the eyes of new attendees light up when the science of PRI “clicks” for the first time.

Thanks again Nancy for staying the course with PRI and providing a great weekend of learning for all of us. Warm weekend on many fronts!

I headed to Philadelphia this past weekend and actually went to Cherry Hill, New Jersey to teach one of my absolute favorite classes: Impingement and Instability. There were 20 of us at TTR performance (The Training Room Physical Therapy) where Nick Perugini DPT, CSCS and Ryan Wolff, DPT played host and made sure that we were well taken care of. This was my first time and TTR and the facility is huge!

New Jersey and the Philly area are becoming a strong hot bed of PRI as the area continues to grow steadily in this knowledge. The folks in the class were switched-on and asked tons of questions as we moved through the material that focuses on a deep understanding of ground-up sensation and the use of neurological "reference centers" in the human form to aid in repositioning, establishment of neutrality, and repatterning/retraining.

we moved through management of impingement areas in the ankle, knees, hips and shoulders. We covered the concept that most folks really WANT to impinge! if you can't eliminate the desire to impinge then you will never reduce patient symptoms. We debunked myths through citation of multiple research articles that help the learner understand WHY we do what we do in PRI. if you have never taken this class before, I strongly urge you to consider getting signed up for it. it is truly a game changer for all who complete this rigorous material. I teach this next in in August in Austin, TX but James is teaching it in April and June in NC and IL. Ron is doing it in Germany in September! Get registered!

I had a great time this weekend teaching Myokinematics of the Hip and Pelvis at Body Dynamics in Falls Church, VA. I grew up not far from Falls Church and my college roommate lives in Rockville MD. I got to spend some time with an old friend and teach a course that I consider an old friend. Myokin is a great course to start a PRI journey and that is exactly what 90% of my course attendees were experiencing. We took an OBER and Thomas Test and turned them from orthopedic soft tissue tests to the neuro respiratory positional tests as they provide clinical evidence of an asymmetrical pattern.

There was as much fog in the room at 4:00pm on Saturday as there was on my drive up to VA on Friday night! But… by Sunday at 5pm the sun was out and the connections in their new PRI minds were clear as the weather outside!

PRI is an integrated science and Myokin of the hip and pelvis is just one piece of an integrated system. But what would a Diaphragm be without a solid pelvic base and a good appreciation of AFIR in stance and AFER in swing!

I was honored to have Dr. Felix Liao, DDS author of “6 foot Tiger in a 3-foot cage”! Dr. Liao considers himself an airway mouth dentist. He was in attendance to understand the perspective of the PRI therapist, so he can better understand the neuro mechanics of PRI and how he can better help patients integrate!

Jennifer Gamboa, Lisa Clarkson and the entire staff of Body Dynamics welcomed all of us to their clinic. These professionals all work well together and it was so fun to watch how they picked right up on PRI methods. Lisa had been exposed to PRI out in Seattle as a student. She did a great job hosting us this weekend!

This class kept me on my toes and asked awesome questions to better understands how to integrate PRI into the current practice. I always enjoy teach Myokinematics of the Hip and Pelvis. It helps further stabilize my own clinical practice and reinforce the importance of sound PRI fundamentals in my treatment plan.

We are excited to announce that next month's Interdisciplinary Integration Symposium, “Airway Oscillation: An Interdisciplinary Approach to the Production of Voice, Airflow, and Resonance Frequency Breathing” has been approved for 15 IAOM CE hours. If you or anyone you know is a certified Orofacial Myologist, you will not want to miss this years Symposium! Please contact us at 402-467-4111 with any questions you may have, or visit our Website for more information!

It was a wonderful weekend in Roseville, CA not only experiencing balmy weather of 58 degrees (back home it was below 0) but teaching my first Pelvis Restoration course in 2019 to these professionals. Close to half of the class was experiencing their first PRI course and this group asked awesome questions. Those attending the course for the second time also really appreciated the course updates with the Hruska Abduction Lift Test and respiration concepts related to the pelvic diaphragm. I truly feel that a deep understanding and appreciation for the three Primary Courses in PRI is key for clinic outcomes. Thank you Suzi and the staff at Sutter Physical Therapy for your hospitality and to Caleb Chiu for your amazing lab assistance.